EDITORIAL: Ramp up innovations to meet 2025 economic goals

As we hurtle towards culmination of the National Development Vision 2025, the government urges Tanzanians to ramp up innovations in the fields of science and technology.

This is to promote industrialization in particular, and socio-economic development in general, in concerted efforts to attain the envisaged semi-industrialised, middle-income Economy by year-2025. The call was made by the Education, Science and Technology ministry at a special dialogue on ‘Science, Technology and Innovation’ held at the Mwalimu Nyerere Trade Fair Grounds on Monday.

Organized by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (Costech), the event took advantage of the ongoing 44th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) whose theme is ‘Industrial Economy for Employment and Sustainable Trade.’

The dialogue brought together experts from assorted institutions that included the Tanzania Trade Development Authority, Tanzania Industrial Research and Development Organization, the Small Industries Development Organisation, the Vocational Education and Training Authority and the Tanzania Meteorological Agency.

There can but be no doubt that innovation is crucial to continuing success of any country or organization.

This is if only because innovators come up with new ideas, methods, creations (devices, products, etc.) which are designed to provide better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, existing market needs, et cetera...

Tanzanians have not been particularly far behind in innovativeness, having chalked up several innovations that resulted in increased efficiency in terms of, for example, achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted efforts and/or expenses.

One has only to visit the annual DITF expositions at which innovations are touted and otherwise exposed for all to gape at: innovative methodologies and devices across the broad spectrum that are in aid of functional, sustainable socio-economic development.

Similar dialogues should be held more often in this era of rapid digitisation and other technological advances to keep abreast of increasingly competitive marketplaces.

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